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Tropical Storm Andrea forms over Gulf of Mexico

Less than a week into the Atlantic hurricane season, the first named storm has already formed.

Tropical Storm Andrea developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday evening, prompting warnings and watches for parts of Florida’s west coast.

On Wednesday evening, the center of Andrea was about 300 miles southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. A northeastward motion is expected with the center of the storm making landfall in the Big Bend area of northern Florida by this afternoon or evening. A tropical storm warning was issued Wednesday for Florida’s west coast from Boca Grande, which is northwest of Fort Myers, to the Ochlocknee River south of Tallahassee.

The NHC's forecast track for Andrea, as of 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Andrea was slowly crawling to the north late Wednesday at 3 mph.

The storm is expected to maintain tropical storm strength as it makes landfall, with little to no change in wind speed, said meteorologist Evelyn Rivera of the National Weather Service in Miami.

Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast are expected to be spared the most intense winds and rain as the storm is forecast to cross the state to the north. However, rain from Andrea’s outer bands is likely Thursday, forecasters said.

“It’s a broad area, so you have some bands moving (in our direction),” Rivera said.

Rivera said the storm’s biggest impact to South Florida will likely be rainfall starting Friday morning.

“The forecast we have right now calls for a 50 percent chance in the morning, going up to 70 percent in the afternoon,” she said. “But after (Friday) night, the center of Andrea is going to be way north, so it’s not going to affect us.”

By late Friday, Andrea should be well to the north and no longer affecting the area, she said.

However, showers are likely across South Florida through the remainder of week and flooding is possible in some areas.

The National Weather Service said that South Florida could see a total of 1-2 inches of rain along the southeast coast through Friday, and 2-3 inches across the interior and western areas. Tornadoes are possible Thursday with the highest potential being in Glades, Hendry, Collier and mainland Monroe, forecasters said.

Rivera said the threat of tornadoes in South Florida is low.

“That’s always a possibility, but the chance is very low at this moment,” she said. “It depends on how the storm moves. If it moves closer, the threat will increase. But how (the hurricane center has) it now, it’s a rain threat. There will be some flooding in poorly drained areas.”

On the Treasure Coast, the rainfall totals could be a bit higher.

On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service announced that the Treasure Coast, including Martin and St. Lucie counties, will be under a flood watch through Friday in anticipation of heavy rain.

An above-average hurricane season is expected this year, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last month.

On May 23, the NOAA forecast a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms, with 11 of those becoming hurricanes and three to six of those major hurricanes.

On Monday, the Colorado State University hurricane forecast team repeated its April forecast of 18 storms to reach at least tropical storm status.

While the last three years were each among the busiest on record, Florida has not had a hurricane make landfall since 2005.